Manchester City host Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night and Pep Guardiola praised one of his players in his pre-match press conference.

Ilkay Gundogan, one of Pep Guardiola’s best footballers

Manchester City are in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the second consecutive season and once again Real Madrid will be in Pep Guardiola’s way.

The English champion will play the first match of the semi-finals at the Santiago Bernabeu, the stadium from which the “townsmen” were dramatically relegated in the previous season.

At the press conference before the game with Real Madrid, the coach of Manchester City praised Ilkay Gundogan.

“I remember one season when we won maybe our second Premier League, Fernandinho was injured for a long time and he (not Gundogan) was playing as a holding midfielder. I had the feeling that without him we would not have won the Premier League.

Gundo is so smart.. So perceptive. So competitive. Under pressure, he copes (any situation) without problems. He is one of the best players I have coached. The whole package. This is world class.” – said Pep Guardiola, according to the Mirror.

Ilkay Gundogan is under contract at Manchester City until this summer, and the German midfielder is very much wanted by Barcelona, ​​who have already expressed an interest in his services.

€25 million is Gundogan’s market share according to Transfermarkt.